Wednesday April 22nd 2026
Dorran bungalow
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A Borders homeowner has given a staunch defence of so-called ‘prefab’ housing after investing in her own such property.
Jeannie Mclean moved to a ‘Dorran’ bungalow on The Green in St Boswells almost three years ago.
Dorran construction bungalows were built using a pre-fabricated reinforced concrete system.
The properties were not designed for modern living and in their original form perform poorly in terms of energy efficiency, leading to problems in acquiring mortgages for such homes.
One of Jeannie’s neighbours recently applied to Scottish Borders Council to demolish their own ‘Dorran’ bungalow and build a replacement dwelling in its place.
Jeannie is concerned that could lead to a perception that such properties can not be adapted for modern living – a fear not borne out by her own experience.
She said the demolition bid from her neighbour was purely their personal choice and that with investment in internal insulation and underfloor heating her home is now sustainable and more than meets modern living expectations.
She said: “I did a lot of research on these Dorran bungalows to make sure they are safe and fine and read quite a few articles about concrete houses and managed to contact a structural engineer, based in the Borders, and had a long chat with him.
“He told me that the bungalows are basically sound and that the problem with Dorran construction was if they were on the coast, where you get a lot of salt erosion, or where it was a two-storey house, and it was between the two storeys that you tend to get problems.
“It was based on that and also checking the house ourselves that we made the decision to buy.”
Jeannie’s property dates from around 1970.
She added: “We originally looked at exterior insulation but we realised that would not be a good idea because we didn’t want anything drilling into the concrete.
“We attended an eco-day at St Boswells Village Hall in 2024 and there was a local Hawick company that did internal insulation, and we had our house internally insulated.
“Then last year we got under-floor insulation which has made a huge difference to the house. Now it’s a property where we can live comfortably for the foreseeable future.”
Such investment has paid off with three similar properties on The Green being sold in the sought-after location over the last three years.
Jeannie added: “With the right investment, care and maintenance, these houses can be easily adapted to modern living and perform very well in terms of energy efficiency.
“Our house is very contemporary, with modern kitchen and bathroom. All this, without compromising the structural integrity of the building along with the various grants and interest free loans available through Home Energy Scotland.”
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